Secrets of Better Photography

DETAILS

Master your digital camera and learn the secrets behind outstanding photos! Whether you have a digital SLR, a point-and-shoot camera, or something in between, you'll learn how to use it the way you want to in this hands-on course! You also have the opportunity to have your lesson assignments critiqued by our knowledgeable teaching team of professional photographers.

You'll see how to choose the best photographic equipment for you and how to compose images with style. Exposure topics like aperture, shutter speed, metering, and ISO settings will all make sense as we break them down into simple concepts. If you want to work with manual exposure on your digital SLR, we cover that, too! We'll also explore natural and artificial lighting, freezing or blurring motion, portraiture, children's photography, pet photography, photojournalism, and digital editing options.

With each lesson, you'll have an assignment to apply the lesson topic using your own camera and, if you wish, your teaching team and your classmates will comment on your assignment images in a safe, constructive and positive environment.

After six short weeks, you'll see the difference in your photographer's eye and your photos! Secrets of Better Photography is also an excellent class to prepare you for the more advanced class, Travel Photography for the Digital Photographer.

SYLLABUS

A new session of each course opens each month, allowing you to enroll whenever your busy schedule permits!

How does it work? Once a session starts, two lessons will be released each week, for the six-week duration of your course. You will have access to all previously released lessons until the course ends.

Keep in mind that the interactive discussion area for each lesson automatically closes 2 weeks after each lesson is released, so you’re encouraged to complete each lesson within two weeks of its release.

The Final Exam will be released on the same day as the last lesson. Once the Final Exam has been released, you will have 2 weeks plus 10 days to complete the Final and finish any remaining lessons in your course. No further extensions can be provided beyond these 10 days.

Week 1

Lesson 01 - The Subject of Photography

Wednesday

In this first lesson, you'll learn how to see the subject of each photograph—before you press the shutter button. This information will provide a solid foundation for the rest of the class.

Lesson 02 - Camera Equipment

Friday

As we move to the technical side of photography, we'll take a look at the options available in camera equipment. Whether you have a point-and-shoot camera or the latest digital SLR, you'll gain a better understanding of the equipment and tools photographers use.

Week 2

Lesson 03 - Your Photographic Eye

Wednesday

Returning to artistic elements in this lesson, you'll learn how to develop your photographer's eye and incorporate compositional guidelines as you take better pictures. This information will provide a solid foundation for the rest of the class.

Lesson 04 - Lighting

Friday

Light is the essence of photography. In this lesson, we'll explore how to control and use light to your advantage. You'll compare the advantages of natural light, available light, and artificial light and see when you'll want to use each to capture the special effects you're after. You'll also learn how to use the ISO and white balance settings on your camera to make the most of the light you have.

Week 3

Lesson 05 - Sharp Shooting

Wednesday

Today we'll explore the options for using your camera and other tools to get sharp, crisp images. Photography often requires compromise to accommodate conflicting priorities, and after this lesson, you'll be able to decide what's most important to you. Becoming aware of screen resolution, camera shake, stabilization, and focus options, as well as preprogrammed modes, will give you a variety of tools to put to work. You'll also see how to test your lenses and cameras and evaluate your equipment.

Lesson 06 - Aperture and Depth of Field

Friday

Using manual exposure settings opens up a whole new world of professional and creative options. In this lesson, you'll begin an exploration of how to get the most out of your camera's features, starting with Aperture Priority and the control it gives you over depth of field. Whether you want to create an image with a soft background highlighting your subject or a far-reaching landscape shot with all the details in focus, controlling your aperture settings puts that power in your hands.

Week 4

Lesson 07 - Shutter Speed and Motion

Wednesday

You'll see how to capture motion in this lesson as we continue the topic of manual exposure settings. Whether you want to freeze the action of fireworks or merge a waterfall into a velvety illusion, shutter speed is the key! Setting your shutter speed gives you the control you need to get the images you want, and it's easier than you might think. You'll have lots to practice with as you finish this lesson.

Lesson 08 - Portraiture

Friday

In this lesson, you'll learn the tricks of portrait photography. Whether you're working professionally or just as the family photographer, these techniques will help you take better portraits. You'll see how to pose people so they'll look their best, when to use digital editing, and how various lighting techniques will help you create pleasing portraits.

Week 5

Lesson 09 - Children and Pet Photography

Wednesday

Photographing children, pets, and groups is a challenge for even the most seasoned professional photographer. In this lesson, you'll learn some techniques and strategies to bring out the best in your pictures.

Lesson 10 - Photographic Challenges

Friday

Now that you know how your camera works and what you want to do, it's time to take a look at how to handle challenging situations. When the light is low or the subject just seems out of reach, you want to know how to get the shot! In today's lesson we'll focus on how to use your tools and knowledge to beat the challenges and come away with the pictures you're after.

Week 6

Lesson 11 - Photojournalism

Wednesday

Photojournalism is a fascinating field for photographers. This fast-paced world presents challenges of its own. In this lesson, you'll see how the pros handle this type of work. We'll also discuss how to get started in the field.

Lesson 12 - Digital Options

Friday

Digital editing is a real bonus for photographers. In this lesson, you'll learn about the basic and artistic editing techniques available to all photographers, as well as some of the technical issues of digital photography.

A digital or film camera. This class does not involve digital editing or other computer specific programs, so both Mac and Windows operating systems are welcome.

INSTRUCTOR

Beverly Richards Schulz is a graduate of the New York Institute of Photography and an award-winning photographer. She has been teaching photography for more than 15 years. Since her first class with ed2go in 2000, she has written more than 30 online classes in digital photography and digital editing, and she's had the privilege of working with more than 70,000 students. She has a BA in Legal Studies from UC Berkeley, and a master's degree in Adult and Continuing Education. She and Eric Johnson are authors of the book Photoshop Elements 14—What's New?

An avid digital film photographer, she was an early adopter of digital technology and now teaches digital editing and photography skills to students from around the world. For the last 10 years, she has enjoyed being an adjunct faculty member with the University of San Francisco, teaching history and visual arts, as well as displaying and selling her work through galleries, and she has continued to expand her experience in travel photography and cross-cultural studies. In addition to teaching and photographic work, Beverly and her staff provide consulting services for digital photographers and clients.

REVIEWS

From day one, I felt the lessons were providing valuable information and techniques that have improved my ability to take pictures. The supplemental information was invaluable. Although I did not contribute to the discussion groups, I did review them and found a lot of information and positive feedback from the instructor and assistants. Great course, thank you.

I really improved my photographic skills. My husband said that my photos look like they were taken by a pro. (Prior to this course he wouldn't comment!!) I enjoyed the instructor's writing style. She made the online course feel much more personal by sharing her own experiences. The TA's responses were prompt, pleasant, and helpful. Thanks!

This is the second photography course I have taken with Beverly and feel she is an excellent instructor. I have really enjoyed the assignments after each lesson and appreciate the feedback on the photos from her or one of her assistants.

This course exceeded my expectations! I loved it, and am sorry it has come to an end! I set out to learn the manual settings on my DSLR, and I learned that as well as so much more. I was frustrated with only using my Auto setting before this class, now I'm excited about my camera and all that I can do with it. I found Beverly to be a very good instructor, and Kimberly to be a great TA! Having the chance to interact with fellow students by reading their comments and seeing their photos is immeasurable. Thank you so much for a wonderful course!

This class was great! Many times I have tried to learn photography from books and I just was not successful. This class did the trick. Now I understand how it all goes together. I wasted several years trying to teach myself. Thank you so much.

This was a great course. It covered the areas I needed to work on, including when and how to use Aperture Priority and Shutter Priority modes. I look forward to taking the Travel Photography course.

I have taken a photography class before, but this course was a nice improvement on that one. I like how the instructor is so very practical in her advice. I like that she understands that novices need some time with the auto settings and Aperture or Shutter priority settings. I feel comfort in using these, but I know in time I will be ready to go totally manual. I thank the instructor for her encouragement to just try what is available on the camera for beginners like me.

This course was excellent. I have taken two courses on digital photography and have learned more than I ever thought I would in this course. My Canon T2i camera is no longer a "point and shoot" camera. I now know how to change settings to get the pictures I am after. I am trying to put to use all the things I have learned by taking more pictures and re-reading the areas where I need more understanding. Thanks for developing this program. I have enjoyed this class and will use the information for many years to come.

Great course! I learned a lot! I'm so pleased that I now understand shutter speed and aperture and know how to use shutter priority and aperture priority on my camera.

I needed a refresher, and this course included everything and more that I knew about photography. A great summary and a great help to me to reinforce the basics again. I have a new found confidence in my photography and I’m looking forward to the next course.